Improvised explosive device kills Harvey native in Afghanistan

A Harvey native who returned last month to Afghanistan for his second tour of duty in the war-torn country was killed Sunday in the dangerous Nad ‘Ali district, the Department of Defense said.

Courtesy Douville familyAir Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Douville, a Harvey native, was killed in Afghanistan Sunday. His wife, LsShana, described him as the ideal family man. "He wanted to build a good life for his family. His job was really strictly to take care of us," his wife said.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel L. Douville, a 33-year-old career airman, died from injuries he suffered from an improvised explosive device.

Douville spent the last seven months with his family vacationing in the Bahamas and cheering on his three children at sporting events near their Fort Walton Beach, Fla., home before his redeployment.

Family was the only thing Douville loved more than his military life, said LaShana Douville, his wife of 14 years.

Daniel Douville joined the service to build a good life for his family, LaShana Douville, 33, said by phone Monday night. “His job was really strictly to take care of us.”

While he was an intensely focused airman, he was just as focused on his family when not deployed.

He was passionate about cheering on his children, 14-year-old Jadelynn, 12-year-old Ayjah-Danielle, and 9-year-old Daniel “Deuce” Jr., as they took to the field for athletic events.

“He focused on us,” while at home, his wife said. “He said work is work. Home is home.”

While his wife and children were his world, the West Jefferson High School class of 1995 graduate also kept busy with various hobbies he developed.

The man who originally worked toward a pre-med biology degree at Southeastern University in order to fulfill a dream of practicing sports medicine also loved to play the keyboard.

“One of the biggest things he was into was music,” LaShana Douville said. “It was in his blood.” In fact, he was in the process of building himself a recording studio at his home, his wife — his high-school sweetheart — said.

He also developed an interesting in brewing his own beer in recent years.

“He did a lot ... to pass the time,” LaShana Douville said. “But one his main hobbies were the kids.”

Douville was assigned to the 96th Civil Engineer Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base in Fort Walton Beach, Fla. Douville joined the Air Force after graduating from the Community College of the Air Force, LaShana Douville said.

Helmand is the most dangerous province in Afghanistan; 734 soldiers in the NATO mission have died since the war began.

Since the war began in Afghanistan in late 2001, 2,554 NATO-affiliated soldiers have died there. Of those, 1,638 were from the United States.

This year, 273 U.S. soldiers have died in Afghanistan.

In 2009, Helmand was the center of the surge of U.S. forces to try and blunt a Taliban offensive in their traditional homeland.